THE CHOICE IS YOURS

One thing about me, I enjoy cultivating my relationship with God. It’s the best investment I have ever made and the return on investment has far exceeded anything I’ve experienced. All assets, no liabilities. Blessings — overflowing. Fruit — delicious. Peace — a-b-u-n-d-a-n-t.

It has been — and continues to be — a journey. Scenic routes, no shortcuts.

I don’t consider myself a teacher by any means. However, I do believe in “each one, teach one,” and Brother Paul was seriously teaching everyone. Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, and Hebrews are some of the most practically enlightening books in the Bible. These books have really opened my mind’s eye.

Anyway…

One night I was minding my business and reading the Bible’s business when 1 Corinthians 8:9-11 popped out at me. The way God broke these verses down as I read was quite an experience. With each revelation, I felt the pop of a spiritual brain cell as it regenerated into a bigger, better cell, then popping again. Crazy. So I wanted to share the revelation I received with you because we all know it ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none. Besides, nothing ever happens by chance…so maybe this word is for you too. 

1 Corinthians 8:9-11 (AMP)

9 Only be careful that this liberty of yours [this power to choose] does not somehow become a stumbling block [that is, a temptation to sin] to the weak [in conscience]. 10 For if someone sees you, a person having [a]knowledge, [b]eating in an idol’s temple, then if he is weak, will he not be encouraged to eat things sacrificed to idols [and violate his own convictions]? 11 For through your knowledge (spiritual maturity) this weak man is ruined [that is, he suffers in his spiritual life], the brother for whom Christ died.

1. ^{1 Corinthians 8:10 i.e. the knowledge that no harm can come from eating the meat, since in reality the sacrifice is meaningless (see note v 7).}
2. ^{1 Corinthians 8:10 Lit reclining, i.e. the position in which people dined.}

VERSE 9: The Power to Choose

9 Only be careful that this liberty of yours [this power to choose] does not somehow become a stumbling block [that is, a temptation to sin] to the weak [in conscience]. 

First thing’s first, who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). Freedom is power because liberty is the power to choose. Your choices will either liberate you or chain you. “Weakness” takes root in the conscience (aka the mind). The choices you make are the fruit of your mind. So, what type of fruit does your mind bear?

Fruit of a spiritually weak mind can manifest in different ways:

To manifest a spiritually strong mind means making the choice to grow in the spirit. Choices to grow in the spirit look like:

• Praying
• Reading God’s word
• Meditating on God’s word
• Praising & worshiping God 
• Re-membering – aligning yourself with God’s word (i.e. His promises, character, miracles, blessings, etc.). Remember…Christ died for you, rose again, and ascended into heaven for our salvation. It is finished because He finished it. So don’t fret, periodt.

When you include God in your choices, you’re not only making a good choice, you’re making the best choice…on Earth (your experience), in heaven, and in eternity (ultimate). Always choose GOD. There isn’t a better choice. There will never be a better choice. Alpha and omega…true believers know.

Alignment with God (another choice) means there are things you get to experience, and then there are things you don’t have to experience.

Have vs. Get — contrast between “good” & “bad”

Perspective is another choice. When you choose God, you know everything is a blessing because you’re choosing your perspective (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5). It doesn’t matter if the experience feels “good” or “bad” because you make the choice to believe (by faith) and know (with conviction in your heart) that ALL things are working together for your good (Romans 8:28).

The “good” always dwells in the spirit, but you must make the choice to seek it. Move with the spirit and be in the spirit (& vice versa). Matter of fact, every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17).

God is The Good Father

Goodness of God

Good News of God

It’s simple, there is no end to God’s goodness. God is the first and the final standard of “good”. God promises that his goodness and mercy and unfailing love follow us all the days of our lives (Psalm 23:6). Now you must make the choice to believe it.

How to Become Strong in Spirit

Now that we see and understand how our choices can strengthen our spirit or weaken our mind, how does one become strong in spirit? Nehemiah knew…

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” – Nehemiah 8:10

The Lord’s joy is our strength. Not our accomplishments, nor our achievements, nor our accolades, bank accounts, or any material possessions. Nothing on this side of eternity can substitute the joy of the Lord. 

So, what can you do? Strengthen yourself in the Lord! Everyone needs to strengthen themselves in the Lord because we each have a responsibility to one another in the body of Christ. We not only have a specific function in the body of Christ, we are also called to fully function in that area. Strength is needed to function thoroughly and properly, in a way that is beneficial to the whole body. With the human body, the arm just doesn’t work for its own sake, it works for the sake of the entire body, just like the heart doesn’t work for its own sake, but for the sake of the entire body. This is true for every part of the body. This principle applies infinitely more in regards to the spiritual body…eternity.

One of God’s favorite things to do is to strengthen His believers —hence the creation of the Bible. Let’s start there. You can read any one of these verses to increase your spiritual strength, and they don’t even begin to scratch the surface.

Each of us is responsible for our choices. One practical way to strengthen yourself in the Lord is to choose to think good thoughts. Choose to let God fill you with His spirit (i.e. where the good things reside, where the good things reside). Corinthians 3:17 -18 says: 

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit. 

Choice is the residual gift of freedom. It just keeps on giving you more and more of what you choose. Choice begets choice and ultimately creates your experience. Choice is a gift because we get to choose our experience.

Choice is POWER. 

So….are you choosing from a place of power? or weakness?

VERSE 10: Having Knowledge

10 For if someone sees you, a person having [a]knowledge, [b]eating in an idol’s temple, then if he is weak, will he not be encouraged to eat things sacrificed to idols [and violate his own convictions]? 

1. ^{1 Corinthians 8:10 I.e. the knowledge that no harm can come from eating the meat, since in reality the sacrifice is meaningless (see note v 7).}
2. ^{1 Corinthians 8:10 Lit reclining, i.e. the position in which people dined.}

Knowledge is power, but true knowledge of God is the ultimate power we should be utilizing in our lives everyday. 

Knowledge of God can be found all throughout the Bible, and although the Bible is a great source to cultivate knowledge of God, it is in our personal lives that we get a hands-on opportunity to experience who God truly is. Now, by no means am I telling you to toss your Bible out the window. However, what I am saying is that there is no way an omnipotent God can be contained to the limited pages of the Bible. 

Isaiah 43:19 says that God is doing a new thing right now. Then proceeds to ask if we are even aware of it. In order to be aware of new things, we must renew our minds by focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes (Romans 12:2). Only then will we be able to make better choices for ourselves that will beget God’s good and perfect experience for us in our lives. He’s a good, good father. It’s who He is. 

True Knowledge

God’s kingdom is an upside down kingdom. After all, the man who knows something knows that he knows nothing at all. Nevertheless, the one thing we should know about God is that we can’t even begin to comprehend anything about Him without first understanding His love for us (1 Corinthians 8:2-3). There is no true knowledge of God without love, first. In fact, without love, God’s word says that He doesn’t know us and we are nothing more than a noisy gong, an annoying distraction (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). 

True knowledge of God will make you bold in love. When you truly know God, you know that anything outside of God’s love is meaningless and ineffective in this world. In God’s upside down kingdom, love is His power that he graciously gives to us. Love is not only a power we can access, it’s also a fruit of the spirit that manifests in the lives of those who make the consistent choice not only to strengthen their mind spiritually, but to strengthen their heart in love, as well.

When true knowledge of God dwells in your mind, and true understanding of God’s love abides in your heart, the two intersect, and you will know with an unwavering conviction that no weapon against you will ever prosper (Isaiah 54:17) because God is for us so no one can ever be successful against us (Romans 8:31). No one and no thing because we are more than conquerors and have overwhelming victory because no thing and no one can ever separate us from God’s unlimited love for us (Romans 8:37-39).

So…are your choices being made from God’s abundant, abounding love for you?

VERSE 11: The brother for whom Christ died

11 For through your knowledge (spiritual maturity) this weak man is ruined [that is, he suffers in his spiritual life], the brother for whom Christ died.

Everytime I read “the brother for whom Christ died” I have to read it in a black mama matter-of-fact type of voice because it’s not only a matter of fact, it’s a matter of truth. Let’s refer back to verse 10 for a moment. There are two footnotes (a & b) that I believe are relevant to verse 11:

1. ^{1 Corinthians 8:10 I.e. the knowledge that no harm can come from eating the meat, since in reality the sacrifice is meaningless (see note v 7).}
2. ^{1 Corinthians 8:10 Lit reclining, i.e. the position in which people dined.}

Verse 11 brought to mind the need to make an important distinction — there are Christians, and then there are believers. When Christ died, rose again, ascended into heaven, sat down in His throne (next to His Daddy), and kicked His feet up while angels placed His crown on His head, He officially changed everything. Christ finished it. So what does this mean? It means that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. All the things and rituals religious people do to subsidize their religion is a non-factor…essentially meaningless. Ephesians 1:22-23 says:

22 And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].

Footnote “a” touches on this because when you comprehend true knowledge of God, you understand that everything and all of the “things” in every realm is meaningless because they are now under Christ’s feet. They do not matter to believers because Ephesians 2: 6-7 tells us…

6 …He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus, 7 [and He did this] so that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption].

When we believe, we are in Christ. This means that everything and all the “things” in every realm (in heaven and on earth) are also under our feet because we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. However, this is only true if you make the choice to believe it’s true. Many Christians complicate (and according to verse 11 “ruin”) their lives because they do not make the conscious choice to become a believer and simply believe. Choosing not to believe will cause you to suffer in your spiritual life. Suffering is another choice. We don’t have to suffer because we are the brothers (and sisters) for whom Christ died. There’s no need to “do” because Christ already did…and since it is already done, that brings me to footnote “b”. 

As believers, we have power, dominion, and authority to experience this side of heaven from a place of victory. Romans 8:36-37 says “…it is written and forever remains written…in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory.” When I picture what it looks like to live from a place of overwhelming victory, power, dominion, and authority, I see myself reclining with my feet kicked up, sitting next to Christ, dining on the most divine and spiritually immaculate food. The kind that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind can imagine 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Know Yourself, Know Your Worth

You need to understand that the presence of God is in your being, it’s not in your doing. Being is spiritual, it’s what is on the inside. Doing is physical, it’s what’s on the outside. The spiritual always proceeds the physical. That’s why it’s crucial to know your identity in Christ and who He created you to be. So, who did God create you and me to be? Well, let’s go back to the beginning, Genesis 1:26-31…

26 Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 So God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to all the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that moves on the ground—to everything in which there is the breath of life—I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so [because He commanded it]. 31 God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good and He validated it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

God gave every believer certain (unquestionable) authority to walk in dominion over everything on the earth. In fact, God commanded us to subjugate and put everything under our power and rule over every living thing that moves on the earth…that includes ourselves, our minds, our thoughts, our choices, our actions, etc. There are so many people living defeated lives, not knowing and truly understanding that they were created and destined to be in control and have victory right where they are. We were born to win, and thanks to Jesus, we’ve already won. This is so because God commanded it to be so. That is clear in Genesis 1. Fast forward to today — our dominion didn’t end with Adam and Eve, it was established with them. Dominion is in our being, periodt. 

I love how @everyniggadeserves once iterated 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 in one of their social posts, “Don’t you know that the spirit of God dwells in you, my nigga?”  See, it’s one thing to know how you identify in the flesh, but it’s a spiritual thing to know your identity in Christ. We are more than conquerors because Christ conquered everything. That means that you don’t have to worry about it sweetheart, it’s that splaaaah. I’m talking about glorious riches. With glorious riches, why even focus on lack? Lack is only present if you choose to focus on what you do not have. When you make the choice to focus on what you do have, you get to experience what it’s like to dwell in God’s unlimited love for you (i.e. lit, reclining, & dining). 

I could go on and on about the goodness of God, but this post is already pretty long. Instead, I’ll leave you with a few prayers I love to pray over myself, my family, friends, and those who come to mind…

Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that God grants you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your heart through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your life, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

2 Corinthians 13:11

I pray that you and all believers be made complete [being what you should be], being comforted, being like-minded, living in peace [enjoying the spiritual well-being experienced by believers who walk closely with God]; so that the God of love and peace [the source of lovingkindness] will be with you.

Ephesians 1:17-19

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength

Colossians 1:11-12

I pray that you may be strengthened and invigorated with all power, according to His glorious might, to attain every kind of endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints (God’s people) in the Light.

Amen.